Green Spaces

Despite CM Uddhav Thackeray’s support, fight to save Aarey far from over

December 2, 2019 Hepzi Anthony

Shortly after taking charge, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray announced a stay on the metro car shed project in the forest land, but that is just one of the many projects planned. Some of these are even known to have enjoyed Shiv Sena support in the past. What, then, could be the future of Aarey?

“Just two hours of disturbance”: Ugly truths and uncomfortable questions post Chhat celebrations in Kolkata lake

November 5, 2019 Mou Chakraborty

The NGT has long banned all festivities and rituals in Rabindra Sarovar, a national lake in south Kolkata. Yet what transpired during Chhat Puja clearly points to the futility of such orders in the absence of political will and awareness among masses.

Miyawaki afforestation catching on in Indian cities, but can it sustain?

October 11, 2019 Nikita Vashisth

Miyawaki forests lower temperature, make soil nutritious, support local wildlife and sequestrate carbon. But how sustainable is this expensive method in Indian cities?

Flamingos in the city: Sabarmati project brings winged visitors to Ahmedabad

August 22, 2019 Binita Parikh

Huge flocks of flamingos as well as other species of birds are being spotted on the banks of Sabarmati, bang in the middle of the city, for the first time this season. Riverfront development officials say that cleaning and bioremediation of the river have made this possible.

Meet the guardian angel of Mumbai’s defence against climate change

July 30, 2019 Kartik Chandramouli/Mongabay

Seema Adgaonkar, one of the four Range Forest Officers at the Mumbai Mangrove Conservation Unit until recently, has been guarding the city’s vital mangroves that act as a natural barrier against sea level rise and coastal flooding.

Why Mumbai needs parks more than parking lots for its 32 lakh cars

July 23, 2019 Sonal Alvares

Open space available to the average Mumbaikar is 1.28 sq m as against international standards of 11 sq m. And to make matters worse, a large chunk of public space is taken up by cars and spaces meant for cars.

In waterless, powerless Bhubaneswar, green is a thing of the past (PHOTOS)

May 8, 2019 Basudev Mahapatra

Photos of the devastated city and the massive damage to tree cover in Bhubaneswar wrought by Cyclone Fani

Bye, bye birdie: A bird sanctuary could disappear as Pune metro speeds ahead

May 2, 2019 Aditi Tandon

In Pune, an upcoming elevated metro line poses threat to Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, which houses over 100 species of birds and 30 species of butterflies. Meanwhile, citizen groups are pushing for the sanctuary’s conservation

Infrastructure and environment battle it out in the maximum city

April 28, 2019 Nikhil S Dixit

Several infrastructure projects are coming up in Mumbai, that could irrevocably damage the city’s coastline and green spaces. While environmentalists allege that projects were announced without public discussion and ignoring the environmental impact, political parties brush aside these concerns

City Buzz: Cities gear up for elections | Mumbai foot over bridge collapse | PUBG ban in several cities…and more

March 16, 2019 News Desk

From Ahmedabad to Kolkata, and from Mumbai to Hyderabad, get a quick recap of the latest news and developments in our cities this week.

City Buzz: Panel for unauthorized Delhi colonies | Vaccination deaths in Hyderabad | Trivandrum airport privatisation…and more!

March 10, 2019 News Desk

A plan for transfer of ownership to residents of Delhi’s unauthorised colonies, reduction and waiver in property tax for small houses in Mumbai, and tragic deaths of two infants in Hyderabad in a case of medical negligence — this and more news from across cities.

City Buzz: Delhi bid to end manual scavenging | Rs 6500 crore for Mumbai Metro | Pune resilience plan..and more!

March 4, 2019 News Desk

Will Delhi finally be able to end manual scavenging with technology? What are Mumbai Metro’s plans with the historic loan from ADB? And why is Kolkata Metro causing serious concern among commuters? Catch a recap of some of the important headlines from our cities last week.